The Southwest Michigan First Life Science Fund is a limited partnership venture fund interested in early stage life science opportunities in the region that have demonstrably viable technologies. The $50 million fund invests primarily in early stage life science companies with a presence or committed to establishing a presence in southwestern Michigan. The fund's primary goal is to spur economic development and retain intellectual capital within the region. Not only does the fund provide equity investment to entrepreneurs, but also offers support services in the areas of industry expertise, regulatory strategy, reimbursement planning, exit strategies and early stage business systems. In addition, the SWMF Life Science Fund has access to a uniquely positioned and committed network that is able to give direction and strategy to start-up companies as they grow and develop. For more information on the fund, please contact Patrick G. Morand (269.377.0597).

PORTFOLIO

Our current portfolio consists of the promising life science companies listed below. We invite you to visit our portfolio company websites to learn more.

	NANOMED PHARMACEUTICALS is an early-stage specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to developing improved therapeutic and diagnostic products to treat and detect cancer and other serious diseases. The company's core technology, Nanotemplate Engineering, is a nanoparticle manufacturing technology used to formulate small molecules, peptides, proteins, plasmid DNA and diagnostic agents. Nanotemplate Engineering technology is used to routinely and cost-effectively produce nanoparticles that mask the delivery-limiting characteristics of given drugs and enable targeted delivery of drugs to specific tissues and cells. The company is headquartered in Kalamazoo, Michigan with research and development operations located at the University of Kentucky's Advanced Science & Technology Commercialization Center. http://www.nanomedpharm.com
	EADEVICES is focused on the research and development of energy-assisted biopsy devices. Their ground-breaking product, the Energy-Assisted Needle (EANeedle) is based on technology in-licensed from Medrad, Inc., a $411 million manufacturer of medical imaging and therapeutic products. Activated by high-frequency energy, the EANeedle penetrates all tissues with more ease of control and safety than standard biopsy needles. It is ideally suited for making needle insertion procedures easier, faster and potentially safer. EADevices has received numerous awards for their technology including winning the 2004 Global Moot Corp Competition and being recognized as a finalist in the "Rising Star" category at the Pittsburgh Technology Council's Tech 50 awards.
	INFORMMED is a medication safety company committed to developing, patenting and commercializing innovative product and service-based solutions for the growing medication error solution market. InformMed is focused on providing nurses and pharmacists with performance support tools that will pave the way for an unmatched level of safety and peace of mind for patients, caregivers and healthcare providers. InformMed's patented flagship product, pac2, is a hand-held performance-support system designed to help nurses prevent wrong dose errors at the point of care, a major healthcare concern. www.informmed.com
	VENOMIX, INC. is a developer of the next generation of proprietary insecticide products. Based on spider-venom peptides, the company creates unique products that are highly effective against insects and related pest species, yet harmless to vertebrates, such as humans, cats and dogs. Its target markets include the agricultural, specialty non-crop and animal health sectors. Venomix has an ongoing development and licensing agreement with Chemtura. www.venomix.net
	NEPHRX is a biotechnology company dedicated to the discovery and development of therapeutic products for the treatment of kidney failure/disease and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, including mucositis, Crohn's Disease and ulcerative colitis. Their portfolio of kidney and gastric growth factors is well covered by patents and patent disclosures in the United States and key countries throughout the world. The company has made significant progress demonstrating the efficacy of its lead product, a kidney growth factor peptide, in two animal models for acute renal failure. NephRx's second lead product, AMP-18, is a gastric growth factor that has been demonstrated in studies to repair the gastrointestinal tract of animals with ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, mucositis or gastric ulcers and possibly chronic wounds. NephRx is interested in the possibility of co-development relationships, by drug delivery or indication with other pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies. www.nephrxcorp.com
	METABOLIC SOLUTIONS DEVELOPMENT CO. is developing innovative therapeutics for the treatment of diabetes and progressive cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in their early state. Their differentiated approach utilizes a different pharmacological path in treatment of diseases in the Metabolic Syndrome and diabetes. http://www.msdrx.net
	MONTERIS MEDICAL is pioneering a medical device, AutoLITT, that uses minimally invasive MRI-guided Interstitial Thermal Therapy. This type of therapy uses focused high-intensity laser energy to heat and destroy tumors from the inside out. The advantages of AutoLITT are that it is minimally-invasive, precise, provides immediate and conclusive tumor death, involves less time and minimal anesthesia, works on all tumors, and has minimal side effects. http://www.monteris.com
	OTOMEDICINE, INC., founded in 2006 and based on over two decades of research at the University of Michigan, aims to become the leading provider of medicines to prevent, treat and cure hearing loss.  The company's lead product, AuraquellTM, a proprietary combination of micronutrients, significantly reduces noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) suffered by individuals continually exposed to loud noise in their work or recreational activities.  http://www.otomedicine.com